With the president’s plea to the American people about the border wall behind us, only time will tell what, if anything will be done to truly secure our borders.

The debate has been contentious, our politics toxic and our cultural battle worrisome.

It should be noted, though, that many of those voices loudly condemning a border wall as cruel or ineffective have previously gone on record about our need for thorough border security.

In 2005, Barack Obama declared, “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the U.S. undocumented, undetected, unchecked, circumventing the people who are waiting patiently, diligently, lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer knew the dangers of illegal immigration back in 2009. “People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who enter the U.S. legally,” he said.

Even Hillary Clinton said in 2014: “I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in and I do think you have to control your borders.”

It is obvious that for many, cynical politics are prioritized over the fundamental safety of the American people. That is political malpractice. It is immoral and we should not forget it.